The Dimensional Cycle
by Writer2BPoet
Summary: To test the abilities the abilities of a newly discovered Gatekeeper, Chris places Julia ina familiar enough setting, but with a twist. But is this new Gatekeeper up to it? Please R&R. More chapters to come!
1. Default Chapter

Gatekeepers21 : The Dimensional Cycle  
  
Disclaimer: any and all characters that are brought in for cameos (which won't be until later, are the sole properties of those who created the Gatekeepers saga, not I. But all original characters and innovations are the complete manifestations of my imagination. Please enjoy!  
  
Author's Note: If I do not get some of the terminologies, or some certain aspects right, please feel free to tell me, and although I may argue some of them, I will give you credit as a source of correctness, and make the adequate changes. Also, if you are reading along and have any suggestions, or scene ideas, feel free to throw them in. This is the second series I've had a go at, but don't think me novice. Just haven't had the time to get at the dozen different series that I'd like to go after.  
  
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I. Introduction  
  
He glanced down at the scanner. The IPW signatures weren't quite numerous, but there was a small concentration. The glow from the screen created a strange sort of contrast on his face. He looked around at the train station. The exterior lights created an artificial afterglow, even though the twilight wasn't yet so dark. It wasn't exactly Los Angeles Union Station, but it was adequately designed for the city it served. The station was an open-air design, with small covered sitting areas on platforms made into islands by the surrounding tracks.  
There probably weren't any more than a few dozen people waiting for the few last trains of the evening, but the crowd did seem a little larger than it should normally be. Chris shrugged to himself as he readjusted the backpack he had across his shoulders. He couldn't be sure, as he didn't usually take trains this late, but if even a few Invaders had decided to congregate, it couldn't be a good thing. Time to go to work, he thought with a casualness that he tended to assume on these low priority actions.  
He stepped through the small arched gateway into the platform area. A handful of conductors and station staff were drinking coffee, or were patrolling around. Most all of the people waiting for trains were on the platform, a couple near one of the vending machines. One staff person was standing next to the ticket dispenser.  
"Excuse me," Chris said to get the man's attention. Chris thought it would be best to make his arrival look commonplace while drawing a bit of attention. The man looked up from staring at his shoes. "Hi," Chris began in an unassuming manner, "I was wondering about the 7:05 train to Grandston, will it be late this evening?"  
The station man looked at Chris for a moment, almost blankly. "The 7:05?" He looked at the schedule of trains on the dispenser machine. "You must be mistaken, there is no 7:05. There's a 7:23, though, but that's heading south, not north."  
"Hmm, okay, thanks. Mind if I check the train display on the central platform? I think I must have gotten myself turned around on the bus, and I want to check something." Chris made it sound like a small request.  
"Sure, I guess, but if you are going to use a train, make sure you get a ticket." The man waved him along.  
"No problem. Thanks." Chris stepped across the tracks and onto the central platform where he went to the digital readout of the trains scheduled for the day. The last train going towards Grandston had left a little over an hour ago. Good thing to keep in mind, Chris thought. As he looked over the read-out, a couple of hairs on the back of his neck prickled. He watched the man he had spoken to a moment ago from the corner of his eye..  
The guy was just staring at him. A level expression, almost no emotion whatsoever, he was just staring. The guy hadn't even made a remark about a bus not coming near the station for almost half an hour. Chris reached into his pocket and pulled out the scanner, the signals had jumped in intensity. Something was definitely going on.  
Someone stopped behind Chris, and put their hand on his shoulder. The scanner went back into his pocket as he casually craned his neck around to find another station staff member. "Finding everything alright?"  
"Yes, I am. Is there something wrong?" A small smile playing across Chris's face.  
"Not at all, simply heard that a station patron was having trouble finding a train. Found it?"  
"Oh, no, not yet. You see, I'm trying to get to Pomona, but I am not sure which train will get me there faster."  
"Oh, well, the next train coming through in ten minutes will get you there, but I thought you needed to get to Grandston."  
"Grandston?" Chris said casually, "Why would anyone want to go to Grandston?"  
"Why don't you tell me?" A strange smile began to twist across his face.  
Chris looked and the man at the ticket dispenser was just starting to cross the tracks towards the central platform. "Just out of curiosity," he asked the station staff member, "have you seen anything out of the ordinary around here recently?"  
The man had stopped smiling. "Out of the ordinary?"  
"Yeah, anything strange or unnatural? I mean, it's not like I'm talking about transdimensional Invaders, or anything." Chris made it look like a laughable idea.  
The man actually began to chuckle. The man from the ticket dispenser had stopped right on the track, just standing there. "Yeah, what a funny idea," the man's voice had changed, the pitch and tones began to get blended, and it sounded more and more un-human with every word, "no, nothing strange at all."  
"That's what I was hoping you'd say," Chris began to reach into his jacket for one of three cell phones, even as a dozen or so other people on the track began to get disfigured, and stretch slightly out of proportion. A woman, whose husband had just changed began to scream. A child somewhere was crying, and other people just started top back away from the changing individuals with hasty panic.  
The Invader man, Chris had been speaking with, looked at him with beady, black eyes. "Now, you wouldn't want to do that, now would you?"  
Chris stopped in mid-dial. "Why do you say that?"  
"That Imitation Gate could do more damage to the humans than to us," the Invader said with satisfaction in it's twisted voice.  
"Huh, a smart Invader," the smile became a rueful grin on Chris's face. "That's a good joke, I'll have to remember it."  
The Invader paused. "And the innocents?"  
Chris smile slipped a bit, as he glanced around at the frightened people. "You have a point." The phone disappeared into his pocket.  
"You are a very smart little Gatekeeper," the Invader said with a hint of coming victory.  
"Why, thank you, I pride myself on my resourcefulness." In Chris's mind's eye, a greenish colored Gate formed, and he could feel the energy racing through him. With a spreading motion of his arms, a small wave of energy rippled away from him, and threw the Invader backwards.  
A look of surprise crossed the Invader's face as it collided with the one standing on the tracks. They both fell backwards, but were already starting to get up.  
"Now watch as I use that resourcefulness." Chris widened his stance slightly. "'BioEnergist Dissemination'", he called out, "Gate Open."  
Concentric rings of energy opened around him, even as the Gate formed. The ring of energy formed into a dozen or so small spheres of energy which quickly shot into the air, and still spinning broke formation and flew in all directions in an umbrella formation, and plastering each Invader before it could react. Each Invader screamed inhumanly as it was vaporized. The people on the platforms had frozen in silent terror, until a moment later when the only audible sound beyond the background street traffic was the tingling sound of the BioCrystals bouncing to the ground.  
Chris looked around, and realized his mistake of openly engaging the Invaders. A problem of witnesses. Then he smiled again, even as the solution came to mind. He pulled out the Imitation Gate phone again, and started to dial up a different codex.  
Chris stepped forward on the platform where he was sure he would be both seen and heard by everyone on the train platforms. "Can I have your attention? Everyone, please remain calm, and redirect your attention to me for a moment."  
  
One man had stopped panicking long enough to pick up a BioCrystal that had moments ago been a good friend of his. His attention was diverted to Chris, however, even though his still held the strange looking gem.  
The man watched with everyone else, as the teenager who had called everyone's attention held up what looked like a cell phone. From the cell phone came a strange sort of light that seemed to hover in the air. It began to take the shape of what the man could only describe as an aurora borealis. It flickered and danced, even as his shock and panic over the recent events at the station began to fade.  
The man blinked, and looked around. He rubbed his eyes and thought that he must be tired. He could only think of dancing lights. He shook his head at such a crazy notion. Everyone on the platform seemed to be feeling the effects of a long day. The man looked at his hand, as it was outstretched in front of him. He flexed his fingers, and shook his head again. In the distance, a train horn blasted through the air. People around the man started to stand, as they got ready to take the train home.  
Authorities would later be mystified at the strange disappearances of several station staff people. But for the moment, no one would notice a single teenager leaving the station, with a small pouch full of sparkling crystals, who was just then closing a cell phone with the words 'Gate of Mirrors' across the display.  
  
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Did you like this? Did you not like it for some reason? Do tell, but don't flame. This is only the first part of several stories I intend to post, so please be patient. 


	2. Discovery

Gatekeepers 21 -The Dimensional Cycle  
"Discovery"  
  
Disclaimer: Much to my detriment, I do not own Gatekeepers21, or anything affiliated to the show. However, the characters and locations of this story are all of my sole creation.  
  
Author's Note: I apologize for not getting this out sooner. A combination of factor's included finals, boredom, and several books which I am reading for my personal enjoyment, including the Lord of the Rings series. And although breakthroughs are wonderful things, so is getting around to those things you most enjoy. Special mention to RVD for his feedback. It is nice to know that there are people who are willing to R&R.  
  
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He walked across the campus green. The grass beneath his shoes was the kind that cushioned every step; it seemed to squelch around the tread. Chris thought is might be Bermuda or something, but it wasn't too important. Nothing seemed very important right now, as his mind was on other things. The only reason that he was coming to class today, like he always did (he rarely missed a single class) was simply a matter of routine. It was something normal that could keep him from losing himself in the strangeness of his life. He looked up, and saw Durrin Hall in front of him. He sighed; he was early, again.  
He took his time going through the corridors, but still got to the lecture hall at the back of the complex with seven minutes before class started. At least he would get the seat he liked. The lecture hall was built in s step-up style, so that on every progressing level there were two rows of desks. There were about seven or eight tiers in all. And at the bottom, was the lecture stand, were the professor would stand. The acoustics weren't too bad in the room, which was one of the few reasons Chris liked it. He had been to this lecture hall the previous quarter for a literature course. He glanced at his watch, and frowned. The first day of class, and suddenly five minutes seemed a near eternity.  
He was about to reach into his pack to pull out a book to read when it happened. The world seemed to hum almost imperceptibly; he looked up to see a girl walk in. She had pale blond hair down to her shoulders, and a pair of over-alls that went over a simple t-shirt. An already fading aura of purple with tints of green seemed to glow around her, but it was over in moments.  
Christopher Daniels smirked, as he brushed an errant stand of black hair back around his ear lobe. His bangs and side-burns were always out of order. "A gate signature," he said quietly to himself as he watched her. He would have to purposely find a way to speak with her after class. Chris thought that Christa would jump at the sound of another Gatekeeper in the ranks. He would have to send her an IM. Her communicator was always online.  
With still some time before class started, he stood from his seat and moved back a couple of rows so that he was directly across from the girl, and slightly behind. He needed to get an ID on her before anything else. Good thing he had brought his Notepad computer with him today. His cell phone was one of the new ones with the mini-camera. He opened the phone and got an off-center picture of her without her or anyone noticing. Transferring the picture into a Zip Folder, he forwarded the image to a friend of his.  
Andrew was not only a friend, but also a roommate from a year ago. Chris hadn't known it at the time, but Andrew turned out to be an adept hacker. Chris had only promised to keep the hacking a secret fro tow reasons: first, Andrew's abilities could prove a valuable asset to him; and two, Andrew had found a way to bypass A.E.G.I.S. security, and hack the mainframe. A secret for a secret.  
Even as Chris finished sending off the file, he couldn't help but shake his head at his luck. He'd been a Gatekeeper for almost five years now, and despite his unpopularity in high school for being "weird", and his best attempts at anonymity in college, he still found himself networking with dozens of people, and making really good friends. Nothing ever worked out the way they were supposed to.  
  
His gate ability was one thing. He had been given the title of 'Gatekeeper of Energy'. As much as he, or others could tell, his Gate allowed him the ability to manipulate energy waveforms: throwing energy waves, creating shields, manipulating energy signatures, and forming and controlling spheres of energy (orbs, he had called them) were just the few things he could do. The most important of his abilities, as AEGIS – North American branch saw it, was his ability to sense and even find other Gatekeepers. Chris had been able to locate some 15 new Gatekeepers in the US-West district in his years since joining. All he needed now were a couple of warlocks, and he'd be great on the set of "Charmed".  
But despite his great 'potential', as Christa called it, he wasn't the happy little Gater. Some people saw his outer stoic exterior, and would comment on how serious he looked. He didn't like to smile unless he felt like it. And despite his abilities, and the small measure of pride he got from trashing some Invaders, he didn't like his job. He didn't trust his abilities, because he wasn't sure if he could trust the source.  
  
"What do you mean, I'm just like Grandpa? He died when I was five, I barely even remember the guy," Chris had told his parents after his first successful Gate operation. He had come home looking dirty, and with some small scratches and tears in his clothing. It had been his first time in the field, and Los Angeles was nothing if it wasn't a bit rough.  
"Your grandfather," Chris's mother had said in a tight voice, "he had the same sort of ability as you."  
"He was a...Gatekeeper?" Asked a surprised and still alarmed Chris who was still, at that time, getting settled to the idea.  
"You could say that," said his mother in a voice that seemed angry about something.  
"But, why didn't you tell me?"  
"It wasn't important at the time, but-"  
"But what?" A strange exciting feeling started to build in him.  
"The people your grandfather associated with, came and talked to us. They had suggested that...maybe, the Gate ability had skipped a generation, and could come out in you. But they weren't sure. They said it differed from family to family."  
"So you and Dad aren't...?"  
"No. And neither have any of your cousins, yet."  
Chris had nodded at the time, before he had gone to get cleaned up. Since that time, five years ago, nothing had been the same. Not even his relationships with his parents.  
  
Chris had long since scanned the AEGIS network mainframe for his grandfather. Angelo Rutherford Monetti. Joined AEGIS Network in 1939. Status: Deceased (1989). Gate: Gate of the Mind. Ability: can alter the perceptions of allies and enemies. Can bring chosen subject under control (mental influence). Can aggressively destroy mind of opponent.  
The file had gone on with all sorts of missions, and reports. Lots of glowing commendations, etc. There had even been an independent report on how he had died. Chris had skipped over it. He wasn't sure he was ready for it, not yet. He first knew that he had to come to terms with his abilities, before he went much deeper with his grandfather.  
  
He looked at his watch. The lecture would be over in fifteen minutes. An icon flashed onto his screen. It was a data transmission from Andrew. He had found something.  
"Subject of Inquiry has been found. Julia Samantha Lyonns. Student of Clinical Psychology. Note: get this, she is the daughter of Corporate Tech Head, Louis B. Lyonns. He's a big player in CyberSpec Inc. The corporation has recently opened a fabrication plant out in the central desert. If this girl is the next Gate person, she could be a link to newer, better tech. Just a head's up. Good hunting, Andrew."  
'So, ' Chris thought. 'Big bucks daughter in the market for a psych position.' True the University had a good psych department, but she'd probably just as quickly be at Berkley, or one of those places. "There's more to this than what is being said," Chris mumbled to himself. The professor was wrapping up his lecture. It was time to make the approach.  
Chris stood up with many other people, even before the professor had finished. With a class this large, it was expected that people (especially on the first day) would be jumpy about getting out to their next class sections. He purposely lagged in putting his backpack in order, as he watched Julia get up from her desk, and start to leave. Chris waited as she let the general surge of students rampage out of the lecture hall, before following with her.  
Chris had already decided that this time around he would use as much of a direct approach as possible. He had at least seven different approaches that he used at any time, but given the routine of getting other Gatekeepers to join the ranks, the most direct was usually the best. Within moments, he found himself walking next to her. She was only an inch shorter than him.  
"So," he said addressing her, "what did you think of the first day of class?" It was generally easy to strike up conversations with people on campus. There was generally a sense of closeness, especially in class groups. Chris thought it derived from the whole 'Us the Students vs. Them the Instructors' mentality.  
She put on a guarded smile. "Not bad, especially for first," she was already checking Chris over, "but definitely on the slow side." she laughed as she started to let her guard down. Something about the situation did seem funny, but Chris just sort of smirked.  
Julia was still watching him out of the corner of her eye, trying to read him. Chris was used to this by now. They would wonder at whether or not Chris could be trusted. Was he some sort of stalker or pedophile? He certainly didn't look the type, they would surmise. No, probably just another student in the sea of the University.  
The same thought must have crossed her mind, because she blushed slightly. "No, it's okay," Chris laughed, "I'm not dangerous or anything. Just thought I'd start a conversation, maybe get a leg up on study groups." Julia smiled, and kept on walking towards the campus Commons. "Oh, by the way," Chris said extending his hand, "my name's Chris. Christopher Daniels."  
"Julia Lyonns. Nice to meet you," she smirked, shaking his hand. The two of them were walking at a leisurely pace. Neither having any place to go. "And for the record," she smiled, "I wasn't wondering if you were dangerous. I was wondering at how infatuated you must have been upon my entrance into the lecture hall."  
Chris must have had a strange look on his face. But kept on talking. "What?! Did you think I didn't notice the digital camera in the phone? or the way you would periodically look over at me?" She stopped musing, with a victorious smile to look at Chris, who had a face of complete disbelief. "Oh, you mean I misunderstood?"  
"Just a bit. You see, I have had a bit of interest in you, but not just because of how good you look." He smiled at her openly. "Good looks are just a fringe benefit for us wanna-be pedophiles." He glanced at her, but she was slow to the catch of his joke. "Sorry, that's just my humor at work. Anyway, my interest is much deeper in that." Chris looked around, and then looked at Julia again. "Do you have any more classes, or any place you need to be for the next hour?"  
The smile of Julia's face fell, as she took a step back. "You're not trying to kidnap me or anything are you?" Chris frowned. This hadn't been going as he had planned.  
"No, despite your father multi-national interests, mine are closer to home, sort of," he hesitated as he wasn't sure how to put this. "If you want to trust me, and find out what all this is about, I suggest we find an out-of-the-way spot. You know that park a little ways past the Science building?"  
Julia nodded. "Then meet me there in half an hour."  
"Where will you be going?"  
"To take care of some business."  
"Planning on bringing in accomplices?"  
"No, there will not be any kidnapping, if you come. As much as it would please me to get millions from your father, no. Not my style. And yes, I do my homework on people who interest me." He winked, good- naturedly, and went off, taking his phone out of his pocket.  
"Christa," he spoke into the phone, "I think I've got another one." 


	3. gaining Experience

Gatekeepers21: The Dimensional Cycle  
  
"Gaining Experience" by: Writer2Bpoet  
  
_Disclaimer_: Don't own the original characters or premise of Gatekeepers21 (which is too bad for me). But if I did, I would make sure that there was much, much more than just the two series segments. However, I can do what little I can to further the enjoyment of the series with my very own creations.  
  
_Author's Notes_: I do apologize profusely for being unable to produce further chapters sooner being trapped within the confines of one of the many stupidly titled 'universities' that plague our existence (damn necessary evils). However, my now being on Spring Break does allow me ample time to catch up on a few projects. Also, special thanks for the input and encouraging feedback from: RVD and Sorceress of Blades. ---------------------------------------------  
  
Chris stood at the entrance of the parkway; well, he more leaned against the carved, stone plaque sign at the entrance than stand. Glancing at his watch, he wondered at how long it would take to get to the park from the base. He looked up the street in time to see a brunette on a moped come down and brake in front of him.  
Her hair was died in green with some blue streaks today. Angelina usually changed her hair color every week or so. She would always say that she was still trying to find her "individual style". Her casually clothing was stylish in its simplicity, not to mention a bit revealing in few spots. She took off her helmet, and looked levelly at Chris for a moment. "This had better be good," she said with her almost New Yorker accent, "I had to postpone the system upgrades for this little jaunt."  
Chris shrugged. "Nick could as easily take care of those-"  
"If he were around. He went home for the weekend. Jeez, don't you ever pay attention to the notices that are posted?"  
"Only when marked with priority alerts," Chris tried joking a bit, but Angelina wasn't smiling. He sighed, "You know, you could always get Andrew to help."  
Angelina's face flushed slightly but it could have been anger, "You want me to turn over my computer core systems over to a Hacker? Are you mad?!"  
"It was only a suggestion, Angie, no need to go postal. Look, do you have it?"  
Angelina "Angie" Gibbins opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but stopped, and turned to open her pack. She reached in and took out a strange looking device that looked like it expanded open to sit upraised on some sort of tripod. "Here," Angie just looked frustrated right now, "take it. And Christa says that if it so much as dents, she'll have your head on a platter."  
"I'll take extra care of it. And, thanks." Chris took the device in one hand, picked up his pack with the other, and half-jogged into the park. The hum of the moped sputtered to life, and then faded into the distance. Chris had to make a note to himself to talk to Andrew about Angie. Maybe she did have something for him; Chris shook his head. Maybe it was none of his business.  
He came around a curve in the foliage, and saw Julia sitting on a bench on an open patio. They were far enough inside the park that there would not be any prying eyes. She stood as she saw him approaching.  
"Alright, what did you need me to come here for, anyway? Certainly not a study group."  
Chris didn't answer her immediately. He set the device on the ground, hit a series of buttons on its side, so that it open up, and raised itself off the ground slightly, while extending several antennae-like structures. And he put his backpack to one side near the bench. "Okay, let me start by thanking you for coming." Julia started to say something, but Chris stopped her, "No, I mean it. That also means you are as trusting as you are curious, and those are good qualities.."  
"I'll take that as a compliment, but what I wanted to say was 'why'?"  
"That's easy. You have a certain distinguishing trait that I want to test out." He looked at her, and figured 'what the heck?' "Okay, to put it all simply, I am among a select number of people around the world, in the ballpark of a few thousand, that have the ability to use Gates."  
"Gates? You say that word like it has importance."  
"Yes, well, Gates are transdimensional openings in space-time, as close as we can figure, that allow use to unleash a variety of attacks to help us defend the general public from the Invaders."  
Julia looked at him, blinked for a moment, and then started to crack up into laughter. "Oh my God, you almost had me there for a moment!" Her laughs died, and as he regained her composure, she looked at Chris and found his face was dead serious. "What? You actually believed all of that stuff that you just told me?"  
"Yeah, because it is all true. Here, I'll show you," he turned so that he was facing a tree, and extending his arm forward, he concentrated. A series of green concentric rings appeared in his eyes as energy started to rush though his body. "Gate: Open," was what he said in a clear voice, and the same two green rings appeared in front of his hand, and a charge of energy appeared in front of his hand. He kept it small, like the blast of a staff weapon from one of the Stargate shows he had watched about a year before. The blast fired, and a dull thud rang through the air, as a patch of tree bark flew into the air. A smell of charred burning filled the air.  
"Yeah, just like that."  
Angelina stood with wide-open eyes, almost unable to comprehend what had just happened. She stepped forward even as Chris lowered his arm; small tendrils of smoke still snaked through the air. The damage was superficial and didn't appear to harm the tree in any lasting manner, but if turned on a person (even if this was just a sampling of the potential energy) the same blast would have severely stunned or maybe even killed.  
"And you d-did that..." she gestured generally in the direction of the blast mark, "with your...Gate, is that what you called it?"  
Chris nodded. "I find that proper demonstrations do so much more than explanations." Julia had an unasked question on her face. "Yeah, this isn't the first time I've found other people with the potential for opening Gates. You'd probably be around the fifteenth person or so: I haven't really kept track. But the fact is that you, too, can open a Gate."  
Julia shook her head. I'm not sure if that can be right. There has never been anything special about me except that my father is among the thousand or so most wealthy individuals in the Western Hemisphere-"  
"Just listen to me, and trust me on this one. Besides, I can prove it to you." Chris moved forward towards the small tripod-like device that opened up on the ground moments ago.  
"Yeah, I was going to ask about that," Julia tried to sound nonchalant about the whole thing. "What is it? And what does it do?"  
Chris smirked. "One of our resident engineers came up with it. It's a Harmonic Amplifier." Chris stopped to look at Julia, who shrugged and gave him a look to keep going. "Invaders produce these radio-like frequencies that only Gatekeepers can hear, we're still unsure why that is, but these frequencies are called IPW signatures. This is how Invader- Hunters like myself can track them and eliminate them."  
"This may be a stupid question, but why hunt these Invaders? Well, I mean, apart from the very ominous sounding name of 'Invaders'?"  
"No, it's a very valid question, but the truth is that I've never really asked the question myself, so I don't really have an answer. But what I do know is that Invaders are evil and they will never once hesitate to either infest of destroy human life, and so we have to be just as ruthless with them." Julia shrugged but she seemed to get the idea.  
"So, why do you have this gizmo, anyway?"  
Chris smiled again. "Glad you asked," he said as he adjusted something on a small display, and turned the device on. "It'll take a few minutes as the system warms up, but to be brief, the Amplifier will transmit along a specific frequency, and essentially act as bait."  
"Bait?"  
"For the Invaders. By transmitting and amplifying IPW signatures, any Invader within say a ten or twenty mile radius will feel compelled to swarm to this location."  
Julia coughed in surprise. "Excuse me: 'swarm'? Are you asking for a death wish?"  
"In a big city it could be dangerous as there could be hundreds of Invaders within a certain radius, but out here there are relatively small pockets of activity." A piercing tone hummed through the air for a moment and was replaced by an almost thrombic tone that seemed to envelop everything in sight. "Just remember one thing."  
"What's that?"  
"'Gate: Open'. It's the command you will use to access your Gate power."  
"But I don't even know if I can open one of those things!"  
"What better time for an experiment?"  
That was when they both heard it. A very distinct sound that would be burned into memory for some time to come: the singular radio-like frequency. Chris and Julia both turned in time to see five shapes squeeze out of a series of cracks in the pavement and take on humanoid forms in trench coats.  
"Come to our world," the first Invader began. "Come with us to build a new world. You will come or you will die."  
"That's new," Chris commented to himself. Julia looked over at him, she was surprised that she was so calm after seeing these men literally crawl out of the ground. Beads of cold sweat were already streaming down her face. "Don't worry. Remember what I told you? Just two simple words."  
"But-t..."  
"But nothing; it's as easy as breathing." Chris widened his stance, "Gate: Open." A blast of energy extended from his outstretched hand and reduced the lead invader to a cloud of sparkling light, and a BioCrystal. The remaining Invaders hardly reacted, but instead were already opening their mouths, where dozens of guns were protruding.  
"Chris?"  
"Just try it," he said as if it were the next normal thing in the world. The humming still continued, and a rustling behind the pair announced the arrival of more guests. Chris turned his head ever so slightly to see four more Invaders behind them. Their mouths as well were already beginning to open. "You'd better do something."  
The first four Invaders opened fire with hundreds of anti-matter blasts. Julia cringed and let out a small scream. "Shield," Chris called out. The shots were effectively blocked and/or deflected. Julia looked around to find a dome of energy encircling them. "I'm not really sure how long this can hold," Chris stated as simply as saying 'It looks like rain'.  
Julia stood up, "Alright, I'll try it! Gate: Open!" Two concentric rings opened up in her eyes even as the two concentric rings opened around her feet. The gray rings glowed in such a way that Julia was cloaked in cold silver tones. In her mind it was almost as if some part of her was unlocked as bits of innate knowledge seemed to take over. Acting more on instinct than anything, she called out in a clear voice, "Medusa!"  
With another brief flash of light, which bleached the entire park in whitish-gray, the IPW signatures abruptly ended. Chris blinked a couple of times as sight returned to him. Both Gates closed, and, looking around, Chris found that the two of them were standing amidst a series of very ugly statues: eight to be exact. Chris leaned down to the Amplifier and shut it down.  
"So, that's what you can do," he smirked at her.  
Julia could, despite what she had just done, only stand there as if frozen as she examined her handy-work. "What now?" she asked as she found her once again.  
"Now, you get to meet the folks."


End file.
